RANDLEMAN, N.C. (WGHP) — A suspect has been identified after a citizen uncovered multiple pipe bombs in Randolph County.
According to the sheriff’s office, on Tuesday around 3 p.m., a citizen contacted Randolph County Sheriff’s Office communications because they thought they had located pipe bombs.
The sheriff’s office responded to Providence Church Road in Randleman. Deputies on the scene saw pictures taken by the person and confirmed that these were “consistent with the construction of explosive material.”
Area residents were asked to evacuate and the Greensboro Police Department Bomb Squad was called in for assistance. They arrived just before 5 p.m. and took control of the scene.
The Bomb Squad says that they identified two viable devices and five partially constructed devices. They destroyed the devices and the area was declared safe for the neighbors to return home. The sheriff’s office also had assistance from the ATF.
Joshua Tyler Yehl, 30, who is in Bladen County Detention Center on unrelated charges, has been identified as a suspect in this case.
Homeland Security has been notified.
Yehl’s grandparents discovered the explosives.
“He was our grandson. We trusted him,” said Steve Scott, Yehl’s grandfather.
“He had made diagrams of pipe bombs and things like that. We knew for a fact and thought he had some here, so we called law enforcement and told them what was going on,” Scott said. “It just goes to show you can’t trust your family like you think you can sometimes.”